


Two Truths And A Lie

by RedCoral



Series: Ticking Bomb [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Two Truths and A Lie, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:37:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9727199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedCoral/pseuds/RedCoral
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Spencer has no plans for the night. That's the excuse Derek uses to rope him into going out with him. Just a night out with a coworker, that's all. What happens, though, when he realizes that is so far from the truth?--"You and me, we'll grab a bite, maybe catch a movie. What do you say?" Derek asked, knowing Reid didn't have any plans for tonight.There was that smile Derek had been waiting for. "You want me to be your Valentine? What? No card to at least ask me out?"Derek laughed at that. "You want a card now, don't you? I didn't know you were so high maintenance, kid. If I did, I would have reconsidered." Derek said, chuckling at the offended look that came his way."How is a Valentine's Day card high maintenance? It's cheaper than both dinner and a movie."Derek put his arm around the other man's shoulders, "Alright, alright. I'll get you your damn card. But I'll choose what it's going to say. Deal?"Reid smiled shyly at him, pleased, "Deal."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I just wanted to write a new fic and since I'm working on a new Moreid fic that's going to be really long, probably longer than my previous one, I thought I'd give you a teaser with this fluffy part!
> 
> What you need to know is that Spencer is new in the BAU. He has been a part of the FBI for a long time, but not as a profiler. He was the reason a certain project was created that is highly classified, a project called "Ticking Bomb". He has been trained differently, but now it's time for him to be integrated back into society and live a normal life. Or is that really his purpose at the BAU? Guess you'll have to wait to find out!
> 
> Everything that has happened on Criminal Minds has happened in this AU too, except for the things that involved Reid. Some of them have happened but under different circumstances. But that doesn't affect this story.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! And for those of you that don't celebrate - like me - have a good read!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. The facts are also not my own. 
> 
> Enjoy!!!

_Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage._ ** _― Lao Tzu_**  

 

Derek was ready to be done with the day. Unlike most of the other jobs, the one he was into did not really care for holidays or vacation. Unfortunately or otherwise, evil people still existed in the world and pain did not recede just because someone at some point found it a good idea to start celebrating love on a specific day every year. He didn't mind though. If you asked Derek, he would rather give someone the chance to see tomorrow than celebrate something that, in his opinion, should be celebrated every day if one was so lucky to have it. But that didn't mean he would miss out on the fun if he got the time for it. So, he put on his jacket and smirked to himself, ready to go tease Garcia mercilessly. Hey, some good flirting here and there never hurt anybody! 

As he walked through the bullpen he saw the new agent, the one person Derek still hadn't gotten down to figuring out. He was at his desk not minding the dark as the lamp to his right was on. It illuminated just enough of what he needed to see on the file he was holding. His eyes skipped over the page and Derek shook his head in amazement. No matter how many times he saw that man read, it still looked impossible. Maybe Garcia could wait for a few minutes. Derek was curious about what the agent's plans for the day were. He took a reroute and headed towards the other man asking, "Hey, what are you doing today, kid?" 

Reid looked up from the file and looked over at Morgan suspiciously searching for an ulterior motive that wasn't really there. Well, at least it wasn't obvious. It was deeply hidden, as far away as possible so that Derek didn't have to acknowledge it. "Why?" He asked, and even though his profiling skills found nothing, his voice still held a suspicious note. 

"Why?" Morgan repeated incredulously. Was this guy serious? He sat on the edge of the other man's desk, ignoring the critical gaze that followed him as he did so and said, "It's Valentine's Day, Reid. Someone as pretty as you should not spend this day alone," he said lightly with a smirk, twirling a strand of brown hair in his finger, avoiding the hand that tried to snap it away. Playing with Reid's hair was simply irresistible. It was so soft and Reid always made the most adorable faces that had Derek trying to hold back laughter. The fact that it was also the only time those walls of his didn't block him out was just a bonus. 

Reid got his excited face on, you know the one with the eyebrows slightly raised and the mouth caught between something serious and a smile, the one when a useless fact was about to come out, and apparently he didn't disappoint as he started, "You know, nobody really knows where Valentine's Day originated and by whom, but according to the most popular theory, Emperor Claudius II believed that men made better soldiers than family men and he banned them from getting married during wartime. However, Bishop Valentine kept on performing secret marriages for young lovers. When the Emperor found out, he sentenced him to death and put him in jail. There's a rumor that while in jail, Bishop Valentine wrote a note to the jailor's daughter and signed it, 'from your Valentine'. Actually, it wasn't until much later that February 14th was officially declared the holiday of St. Valentine's Day by King Henry VII of England in 1537." 

Derek shook his head at him amused. Seriously, there was no way this kid knew everything. He refused to believe it. But, "You still didn't answer my question, pretty boy," Derek reminded him.  

"What question?" Reid frowned at him and Derek could see him replaying the conversation in his head to figure out what he missed. 

"About your plans." Derek leaned forward then, an insane visual coming to his head that he couldn't help but share with the other man if only because the glare that would be coming his way would be priceless. "What? You gonna hit the club," aaand there it was. The glare of a puppy. But that didn't deter Derek. It brought a smirk to his face and he went on, "get your groove on, lure some lady in with those moves of yours?" When the glare intensified and the other agent stayed silent, Derek couldn't help but tease him even more. "Come on, lover boy," he said as he ruffled his hair once, "When was the last time you got some, huh?"  

The other man got up then and started shoving things in his bag and Morgan knew he was going to try to get away from him just like he had every other time they were alone. But Morgan wasn't about to let him slip away. This case has been hard on all of them and it still wasn't over. The UnSub was hitting them all where it hurt, where they were most vulnerable at as if he knew each of their darkest secrets. It was a terrifying thought, but maybe he did. None of them knew what was coming around the corner. None of them could contact the UnSub. They were in a constant alert and they were all fully aware that was no way to live. But the UnSub had taken that choice out of their hands and Reid... Reid was a mystery and he wasn't going to let Morgan solve him. That didn't mean he wouldn't try. Tearing up those walls of his was a work in progress and _this_ , them talking, could be a major step. So, Derek didn't falter in his teasing, not until he received that small smile that he knew he could get Reid to give him.  

"Come on, man. You can tell me. I promise my lips are sealed," Derek teased as he stood next to Reid and grabbed those bony wrists in his hands to stop them from moving. 

But Reid didn't relent. He didn't shake off his touch, but he didn't respond to the teasing tone either. "There's nothing to say, Agent Morgan," he said formally. 

Derek could see those walls coming up again and he couldn't have that. This was supposed to be fun, having a conversation with someone else, teasing them, even bickering with them if it came to that. He didn't know what the man what been through while in his previous project, but Reid needed something in his life that didn't include staring over his shoulder or dread the next mission they were going to ask him to carry out. He needed to relax for once. "No, no, no, no," he said as he manhandled the other man in such position, that he was facing Derek. He looked at him in the eyes and said, "None of this Agent Morgan crap. We're off the clock," he said, motioning between the two of them. "So that means I am Derek and you are Pretty Boy." 

Reid frowned at him slightly, "My name is Spencer." 

"Yes, but you're pretty, so it's still accurate," Morgan replied with a wink. 

Reid rolled his eyes at him. "That's a ridiculous argument." This was not the first time they argued about it and they both doubted it would be the last. 

"You know, pretty boy, those evasion tactics of yours don't work on me. You can try to distract me all you want but it ain't gonna make me forget what I asked you," Derek smirked at him, searching for those pretty brown eyes when they refused to lock on him. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Reid said innocently, looking anywhere but at Derek. 

"Okay," Derek nodded, "that's a no."  

Reid looked at him then confused, "What?" 

"That's a no to plans," he clarified. It really didn't take that long for him to figure it out, but trying to get it out of Reid was so much fun. Also, now it gave him the chance to do something he wouldn't have had the guts to do otherwise. "But no worries," he said as he closed Reid's satchel and gave it to him. The other agent put the strap on his shoulder confused and walked as Derek led him toward the elevator with an arm around his shoulders. "You have plans now. You and me, we'll grab a bite, maybe catch a movie. What do you say?" 

"But it's Valentine's Day," Reid said in a last attempt of protest. 

Morgan raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah, and?" 

"And you probably have already arranged a date with a beautiful woman and I wouldn't want to ruin that for you." 

"No plans for me, kid." Morgan smiled at him, fixed the collar of his shirt and winked as he said, " You're gonna be my Valentine today." 

And there was that small smile Derek had been waiting for. He knew the young doctor had it in him. He knew that social cues was something that he had probably been taught to be successful on his missions for the FBI, but that's who the Ticking Bomb was, not Dr. Spencer Reid. When he let go, he was actually pretty good company. And the smile... that was all Spencer. "You want me to be your Valentine? What? No card at least to ask me out?" He said tentatively. 

Derek laughed at that. "You want a card now, don't you? I didn't know you were so high maintenance, kid. If I did, I would have reconsidered," Derek said, chuckling at the offended look that came his way. 

"Hey! I'll have you know that about 141 million cards are exchanged annually on Valentine's Day, it which makes it the second most popular greeting-card-giving occasion." The elevator came and as they stepped in, Reid seemed to have realized what Derek had called him, and protested about it. "And how is a Valentine's Day card high maintenance? It's cheaper than both dinner and a movie." 

Derek put his arm around the younger man's shoulder again, "Alright, alright. I'll get you your damn card. But I'll choose what it's going to say." 

Reid smiled shyly at him, "Deal."  

Derek didn't let him go the whole way down. They had to separate to get into the car, but Derek didn't mind much. After all they were about to spend the evening together and on Valentine's Day no less. What more could he ask for? 

\-- 

Derek drove him to a restaurant he knew would have a table for them in the last minute. He parked the car and before Reid even knew what was happening, Derek had opened the passenger door waiting for the stunned agent to get out patiently. Once he did, he told him, "Wait here a minute. I'll be right back," and he ran across the street. He walked in a store that was full of decorations fitting with the holiday. He walked to the back where the cards were. He saw several anniversary cards, birthday cards, congratulations cards for several different occasions. When his eye caught the Valentine's Day cards on the top shelf, he scanned them fast before he found out exactly what he was looking for. Something cute and funny, but nothing revealing. This was a dinner and a movie outing with a coworker. Nothing more than that. It couldn't be anything more than that.  

Once he bought the card, he ran to the other side of the road, to a confused Reid. He didn't give it to him yet. He dodged his questions and led him inside. It was a pizzeria that had the best pizza in the city. The kid needed to eat and Morgan knew he loved pizza.  

It was a small restaurant with red booths lining the midnight-blue colored walls with cream-colored wooden tables. The side with the floor to ceiling windows was occupied with a row of tables that allowed the occupants to stare at the people below them as they were on the first floor. There were laminated menus on each table and the letters were blue while the prices were in red. It was almost packed, though they found easily a table for two by the window.  

Once they got seated and they had the menus out in front of them, Morgan smiled widely at Reid, laughing on the inside at the card he picked, and gave it to the other man. "Here's your card, Pretty Boy." 

Reid laughed as he read the text inside. There was a cartoon picture of a jellyfish and he read out loud the text following it, "If you were stung by a jellyfish, I'd totally pee on you." He laughed at that. Of all the things that had happened to him, he admittedly had never been stung by a jellyfish. "Such a gentleman. Thanks, you're a lifesaver, Morgan," Reid said smiling.  

Derek pointed a finger at him as if to reprimand him, "Hey, I said none of this Morgan, Reid crap. I'm Derek and you're-" 

"Spencer," Reid interrupted. 

"No, you're Pretty Boy, but you were close enough," Derek said with a wink.  

The waitress showed up at that point, greeting them politely, even though her eyes lingered on Reid for a little more than what seemed appropriate. "Hey, my name is Adrian. What can I get you guys?" 

Spencer turned to Derek thoughtfully and asked, "Are we going to get two pizzas?" 

Derek raised an eyebrow at the question, following it with a question of his own, "Can you handle  a pizza by yourself?" 

Reid was taken aback by the implication but he replied factually, "I can eat two pizzas if I want, I just thought I'd extend the courtesy." 

"Okay, you're on, Pretty Boy. We're getting two pizzas. You better not get sick halfway through your first one." 

"That's okay. If that happens, I'll be plenty entertained watching you mourn your abs due to the carbs you'll be consuming." 

Derek laughed at that. Who knew Pretty Boy had such fire in him? "Don't worry, lover boy. I'll make you work out with me to burn them off." 

Someone clearing their throat was heard next to them and both men jumped to see the waitress raising an eyebrow at them with amusement written all over her face. 

Reid blushed and stuttered as he said, "I-I'll have a Peperoni with mushrooms, please." He focused on the tabletop, his eyes playing with the card Morgan gave him as he tried to get over his embarrassment. He reminded himself that Morgan didn't see him this way. He was only flirting like he did with everyone else. It didn't mean anything. Nothing does, no matter how dirty it can sound in a different context. 

"And I'll get a Hawaiian, thank you," Derek added a little firmly as the waitress was too busy staring at Reid instead of writing down their order on her notepad. 

The waitress jumped at his tone and nodded at him, "Sure. Anything to drink?" 

"I'll have a beer," Derek said and when the waitress turned to Reid, he said, "Water is fine, thanks." The smile Reid gave her made her blush and scurry away but Reid either didn't notice or he didn't care.  

Reid was nervous, that much was obvious, but he wasn't getting up and running for the exit, so Morgan would count it as a win. He fumbled with the card in his hands, turning it this way and that, probably trying to find something socially acceptable to talk about. A few moments later he said, "Do you know where the expression 'wear your heart on your sleeve' came from?"  

Derek could have made a teasing comment, in fact several came to mind, but he knew that would only make Reid close off and this was the time to have fun, so he encouraged Reid with a simple, "No, where?" 

Reid still didn't look at him as he explained, "Um, in the Middle Ages young men and women would draw a name from a bowl to see who their Valentine was going to be. They would wear the name pinned on their sleeves so that everyone could see. That's, uh, that's where it comes from." 

"Huh," Morgan said thoughtfully, "that sounds interesting. Maybe I can give you my card to pin on your sleeve and show it to everyone at work. Garcia's reaction would be priceless." Derek laughed even thinking about it. She'd probably be shocked at first and then she'd get all excited, clapping and jumping up and down ecstatic about her two favorite people. 

Reid shuddered at the thought, "Ha ha. Hilarious." He glared at him as he continued, "She wouldn't stop bugging me for details and she would probably scheme behind our backs until she got us, uh," he coughed in embarrassment but he knew he had to finish what he started, "'officially' together." Reid blushed and looked back down at the tabletop. 

"Yeah, you're right," Derek agreed. But this was getting out of hand. This was too close to a territory Derek was not ready to step on. There was a lot he didn't know about Reid and while he knew he was living proof that the past does not define somebody, he was wary. Reid was his coworker. He held his cards close to his chest and more times than not Derek had no idea what he was feeling or thinking. He didn't want to ruin this, whatever it was that was being built between them. So, he tried to set some light mood to their night. He leaned back as he suggested with a smile. "Let's play a game." 

Reid looked at him warily, "What kind of game?" 

"Don't worry, pretty boy. We won't go with 20 questions because I know you won't answer half of them." 

"Derek, I-" Reid felt guilty all of a sudden but he didn't know why. He was carrying out the mission he was assigned to. Feelings had never been part of the equation, but he had caught himself wanting to share things with Derek that he had never shared before, that he wasn't allowed to share period. That scared him more than anything else.  

"It's okay," Morgan said rolling his eyes even though Reid knew that it wasn't. "I'm not pushing," he put his hands up in a defensive gesture for emphasis. "I know you wanna keep that mysterious persona about you." He leaned forward on the table then and smirked at him, "But I'm gonna find out, I can promise you that." 

Reid laughed at his coworker's ridiculousness, "Sure, sure. If you say so." 

"I do," Morgan smirked again.  

Their drinks arrived then and they were informed their pizzas would be there in fifteen minutes tops. Morgan didn't mind. It actually gave him more time to talk with Reid. He took a sip of his beer and then he said, "Okay, so, you know Two Truths and a Lie?" 

"No, what is it?" 

"It's simple. We tell two truths and a lie. The point is to figure out which one is the lie call the other out on it."  

Reid nodded at that, "Okay, it seems easy."  

"We wouldn't want you to go right on to the hard stuff, would we Pretty Boy?" Derek teased him. Reid scoffed at him and Derek laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll go first. But no profiling each other, got it?"  

"I'm not the one who has been profiling my coworker for weeks, am I?" Reid raised an eyebrow at him, confident in his statement.  

"Fine, kid. I'll give you that. No profiling from my end either." Derek took a few seconds to think about a truth that Reid wouldn't figure out easily. "Okay, I got it. I can do a pirouette successfully. I can run 5 miles in under 45 minutes and I played left field in college." 

Reid scoffed at him and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back on his chair, "Come on, that was too easy. The first one was a lie." 

Derek shook his head with a smirk, "Nuh uh, Pretty Boy." At his incredulous look, Morgan explained, "I have an older sister who was into ballet and when we were young she made me practice with her. I mastered the pirouette on pointe by the age of ten." 

Reid laughed. Not the small laugh, not a chuckle, he full on laughed, throwing his head back and tears springing into his eyes. Derek couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever witness. "Yeah, laugh it up, kid. You still haven't found the lie." 

Reid tried to get himself together, wheezing to get some air, clutching his stomach as he kept on laughing. "I-I'm so-sorry," he finally managed to get out between giggles. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second, explaining, "I'm just picturing you in tights and ballet shoes dancing  to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake." Having his eyes closed didn't really help anything since a second later he exploded in giggles. Again. He tried to stop by focusing on finding the lie. But he had one last request, "So you can do a pirouette on pointe. You have to show me some time," he said as he giggled again. 

"Not happening, kid. Find the lie," Morgan insisted. 

"Well, you can obviously run 5 miles in under 45 minutes, so it's probably the third one." 

"It is. I played center field and was a decent pitcher," Morgan smiled, proud of his accomplishments. 

Reid was still smiling at what was revealed to him, but he realized it was his turn now. "My turn. I have been to New York several times, I love chocolate chip pancakes and I find solving math equations relaxing."  

Morgan looked at him unconvinced, "You cannot possibly relax by solving math equations." 

Reid, however, looked appalled at the accusation, "I can and I do. That was not a lie." 

"Well, I have seen your insane need for sugar and chocolate, which means... you've never been to New York?" 

"No. Never really had the time," Reid shrugged. 

"Spencer, it's an one hour flight. Two by train." 

Reid shrugged again. "The opportunity never occurred." He didn't say that all his trips had been missions the FBI had sent him on and none of them had happened to be in New York. He didn't say he couldn't have gone even if he wanted to. He had never really been allowed for vacation. All the time off he had had, had been spent training under supervision. He didn't want to dampen the mood, so he didn't say any of this.  

"Man, you need to live a little," Morgan said, shaking his head. "Okay, so I am creeped out by Halloween, I have won a mud wrestling contest, and I have tattoos in places that can be seen but are easily covered." 

Reid seemed to think about this one, but he came up with an answer pretty fast. "Under other circumstances I would have gone with the Halloween since Hollow's Eve is a remarkable holiday, but I'll go with the mud wrestling. Please tell me you didn't do that," Reid said with a grimace on his face that made Derek laugh. 

"Oh, I did. College was pretty wild for me," Derek smirked. "And in my defense, Halloween is creepy. People wear masks and pop out of nowhere." 

Reid smirked at the information. He leaned forward on the table and asked, "Are you jumpy?" 

Derek stood taller in his seat, offended by the other man's question. "I am not jumpy! I just don't like people sneaking up on me." 

"I completely agree with you," Reid said, smirk still obvious on his face. 

"You're a sarcastic little shit, you know that?" Derek sighed. 

"Yes, but apparently you didn't." Spencer seemed thoughtful for a moment, "Wait, does that mean you have tattoos in places people can't see?" 

Derek was saved from answering by the pizzas finally arriving. The waitress left the pizzas in the middle of the table and then she brought two plates for them. "Bon appetite!" She said, sparing Spencer one last glance, but the other man didn't seem to care.  

"So where is that tattoo?" Reid asked as he took a slice on his plate. 

"Not telling," Derek replied. 

"Will you at least tell me what it is?"  

"Nope," Derek said, taking a bite of his slice. 

"Is it small or big?" 

Derek just couldn't resist anymore. He had to say it. He couldn't hold it in. "Don't worry, Pretty Boy. It's big enough," he said with a wink. 

He watched as Reid almost choked on his pizza, his cheeks turned scarlet and his mouth kept opening and closing like a fish. Derek laughed at the other man's expression, his laugh getting even louder when he heard Spencer mumble, "I'm just going to eat." 

Conversation flowed easily between them after Spencer's face returned to its normal shade. They continued playing the game, learning new things about each other, until at some point the game stopped but their words didn't. Spencer had never laughed this much in his life. Derek never knew Valentine's Day could be fun while being single. All the years before he had tried to go out only to be surrounded by couples that gazed at each other lovingly while Derek didn't knew what it felt to be gazed at that way. But tonight, he forgot about that. More importantly, he didn't even care about that. All he cared about was that Spencer was laughing, he was relaxing in someone else's presence in a public setting, and he was sharing little truths about himself that maybe no one else knew about. They talked for so long, they never watched that movie. They stayed in the pizzeria until it was time for it to close and the owner had to remind them of the time. 

Derek drove Spencer home and when they arrived, Spencer hesitated to get out. He had unbuckled his seat-belt, his hand was on the lock, but then suddenly he turned to the other man, "Hey, Derek?" 

"Yeah?" Derek tried to read Spencer's expression. It wasn't blank really, but it wasn't one he had seen before. 

"I have never been stung by a jellyfish," Reid said, his voice confident but not loud enough. 

Derek heard him clearly though, and he replied with a seriousness that he was previously lacking, "That's okay. I'll be there to pee on you if you ever do." 

He had barely finished his sentence when he felt a pair of lips press against his own. He closed his eyes automatically, felt the hesitance in the other man's touch. Derek had tried to avoid this for so long. He had tried to stay away, stay detached, but Spencer had taken a step that Derek didn't have the guts to take and he couldn't turn him away. Not now. Not when he found out what being gazed at lovingly meant, not when he felt how soft Spencer's lips were, how careful his touch on his arm felt. He didn't want to hold back anymore. 

He took his hand off the wheel, and as Spencer tried to pull away, Derek touched his neck, wanting him to stay in place. Spencer understood, and moved his lips against Derek's. His hand came up to Derek's cheek, his touch slow as if in wander that he actually got to touch him. Derek knew that feeling. It was what he was feeling now as Spencer leaned in even closer, their bodies touching as much as possible with the damn console in the way. No matter the circumstances, it was still the best kiss Derek had ever experienced. It still took his breath away, made him want to explore every inch of Spencer's skin, made him repeat the word _'mine'_ in his head again and again.  

When they came up for air, they leaned against each other. Their foreheads touched for a moment but Spencer put some distance between them, no more than two inches, just enough so they could see each other clearly. As Derek searched Spencer's face again, he realized that yeah, he knew what it felt like to be gazed at with a special kind of emotion. 

As Spencer looked back, he knew he was in trouble, but he didn't care right now. Derek was enough. Maybe more than that. As he looked again and locked eyes with him, he realized, that yeah, he was definitely more than that.  

 

_Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment._ ** _– Buddha_**  

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you liked it! Just so you know, the rest of the fic will be a lot more angsty and with cases. So, what did you think? Want to read more? Press the Kudos button if you do, or leave a comment or something. 
> 
> I have a [tumblr](http://puddingwillbeouralways.tumblr.com/) if you're interested, where I post Moreid, Sterek, Philkas, Malec, and anything else that catches my eye. You could say hi if you want. 
> 
> Until next time...  
> -RC


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